1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cleaning devices such as handheld dusters and dust mops. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved cleaning or dusting pad having simple and low cost means for producing a cleaning pad.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
For centuries, handheld feather dusters, dust rags and other cleaning implements have been used as cleaning tools for the removal of dust adhering to furniture such as dressers and coffee tables, electrical appliances such as computers, lights, interior walls, lintels, and the like. Thus, it is generally well known to remove dust or dirt from floors, furniture, and other household surfaces by rubbing a dust rag, cloth, or other cleaning implement against the surface such that the dust or dirt adheres to the cleaning implement.
Throughout the last half-century, new cleaning implements have been developed to assist the individual in dusting and similar cleaning chores. While handheld dusters and other cleaning implements are generally well known in the art, numerous drawbacks exist with the current commercially available designs.
Many of the existing disposable dusting or cleaning cloths start with a base sheet having a fiber bundle fused to one side and a separate holding or retaining sheet fused to the other side of the base sheet. The fiber bundle provides a material for picking up and retaining dust and other particulates. The holding sheet provides a space for inserting and retaining the forks of commercially available cleaning implement handles, such as that found in the Pledge® Duster Plus® cleaning kit.
However, using a separate sheet as a retaining means often requires additional steps and material in the cleaning pad manufacturing process. These extra steps and material increase manufacturing costs by requiring more manufacturing time, more material used, and additional quality control for the additional points of failure created. A dusting cloth or cleaning pad having an attachment member retention means integral to a single or multiple base sheets, or without the need for a separate holding sheet, would eliminate the need for additional material and associated costs.
Therefore, while some improvements to dusting cloth retaining means are disclosed in the art, there remains a need for improved cleaning pads that minimize manufacturing costs by requiring less time and material to produce.